


wait by the river

by embalmers



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Father/Son Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 12:18:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19441318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embalmers/pseuds/embalmers
Summary: Lloyd was good with his hands.





	wait by the river

Lloyd was good with his hands. In class when he wasn’t sleeping, he’d doodle on the margins of paper, drawing objects or faces. Raine noted as she would check over his work, there would always be a smudge of charcoal mess on the sides as he’d obviously lost steam trying to answer questions and opted to draw instead. Whenever she caught him doing so in class, she had to scold him for it, this wasn’t an art class after all, however marking papers her students had given in, she found when she got to Lloyd's, the boy still found a way to have drawings everywhere on the page. No amount of crossing them out and “no!” marked next to them seemed to stop him.

It wasn’t only drawing either, he seemed to like tasks involving his hands rather than reading a book or listening in silence. Anything with building blocks when he was younger was one of Lloyd's favorite things. Now older, he enjoyed when they got to go outside for a class, acting and role playing tasks or when they had to make things. Granted she could understand, students needed different approaches to learn, some responded best to visuals, some better with reading themselves. Lloyd was best when doing things practically.

“What are you doing?”

He let out a small noise as he looked up and saw Kratos frowning down at him. He never seemed to have a happy look on his face.

“What does it look like!? I’m drawing, don’t scare me like that!”

An even deeper frown. What did he do wrong this time?

“Lloyd, even if I’m on watch, you should be aware of your surroundings. You didn’t even notice I was standing here.”

“I get it!” he retorted, scowling as he scooted a bit away from the mercenary standing over him. Lloyd heard a sigh from him but the other didn’t seem to want to pursue his lecture and instead went and sat a bit away from him. Deflating slightly, he went back to drawing.

It was quite worrying how Kratos had managed to sneak up on him like that; he hadn’t realised how absorbed he’d gotten in it and as much as he didn’t like it, the guy had a point.

He looked at what he was working on.

The nose wasn’t right.

Lloyd was trying to draw Colette, but he just couldn’t get it right. Her back was turned while she was sleeping so he couldn’t get a good look at her face for reference either.

“You said you were drawing.”

No jumping or letting out embarrassing noises this time. A good start.

“Uh yeah, it’s for Colette.”

He didn’t bother looking up at the other as he replied. Colette would be happy with anything he gave her, but he still wanted it to be perfect and not with a messed-up nose. Lloyd was feeling awful about still not having finished her present so a drawing to tide him over until he had finished it would be alright for now.

He looked again at his drawing.

Now the nose was too small.

“I haven’t seen you draw before… Is that something you do often?”

Lloyd looked up then.

_Why does he care?_

“Yeah, it started when I got bored in class. I guess since then I haven’t stopped doing it. Raine always got mad at me for it though.”

“Hmm.”

Kratos was frowning again and Lloyd rolled his eyes and went back to what he was doing. If he was going to get mad at him answering his question, why ask in the first place?

It was silent for a while so he assumed Kratos had only asked out of politeness or to make things less awkward. Drawing by light from the fire and in the dark probably wasn’t the best but they didn’t have time during the day. Lloyd only found himself with an hour or two to himself when they rested before sleeping and most of the time, he was too tired to talk, let alone draw. He took whatever bursts of energy and motivation he got.

It had been a while though since he started and even Raine was asleep now. Lloyd should follow soon. Stretching out he put the drawing away. Colette would have to wait a bit longer.

They had an inn this time so Lloyd could draw from the comfort of his bed and have good lighting to draw. Colette was almost finished.

Stretching out on his bed, Genis was already asleep in his own and Kratos cleaning his sword on his own. It was late though, but he just had a finishing touch to do. 

"Lloyd, you should sleep soon," he heard from across the room.

"I got it, I got it, just a minute," Lloyd whispered trying not to disturb Genis. He finished shading a piece of hair then looked at the piece. Done!

Smiling, he put it in his book. He'd surprise Colette with it tomorrow. He didn't notice Kratos watching him as he did so and looked away whilst the teen was getting into bed.

“Can I see?”

“Wha-?”

“Your drawings. Can I see?”

Lloyd blinked dumbly at the red head. All Kratos did was stare back. It must have been for a bit too long he was just gaping like a fish at him because Kratos then blinked and turned away from him.

“I mean... If that’s okay with you?”

“Uh I mean! Uh… Hold on.”

Lloyd quickly scrunched up the drawing he was working on and shoved it behind him and flushing red and instead pulled out his sketchbook where all his other drawings were.

“Sorry. That one was no good. I’ve got these ones if you want to see?”

Kratos sat down next to him. Lloyd hoped his face wasn’t still red, the close proximity wasn't helping matters. Opening up the book he put it in Kratos’ hands and just watched as the other glanced at Lloyd quickly then back at the book and started flipping through it.

“You’re very talented.”

Never mind. He was red again.

“Ahaha… Thanks.”

Kratos was absorbing every page and looking at everything but his face still hadn’t changed much from neutral. At least there was no frowning this time. They’d gotten a lot closer since they’d first started their journey, but Lloyd still couldn’t read the other. He spent a lot of time trying to get reactions out of Kratos, learn a bit more about him but he never revealed much. It made it hard for Lloyd to know if Kratos liked him or was just putting up with his constant bothering and silly comments at him sometimes.

He glanced up at Kratos and who was still deeply engaged in Lloyd’s drawings. There was even what he thought might be some warmth in those eyes.

“I didn’t know you liked art?” he tried.

The other blinked then the warmth was gone.

“You’re always drawing, it seems like it’s something you enjoy. I was curious to see what they looked like. Again, you’re very talented.”

“Thanks. I just didn’t think you noticed or cared that much.”

Kratos looked at Lloyd then intensely for a second then looked away.

What’s up with him? He couldn’t go one sentence it seemed without making the other upset or frown. The look was gone, and he was back to gazing at Lloyd’s art. He felt a yawn but managed to stifle it before Kratos could nag him to sleep. Lloyd really didn’t want to ruin the moment, but his eyes were sleepy.

“Hey, look I’m going to sleep, when you’re done looking just leave it with my stuff.”

“Of course. Goodnight Lloyd.”

He just gave a wave over his head acknowledging he’d heard.

In his tired state, Lloyd had seemed to have forgotten he had left that scrunched up piece of paper behind him on the ground. Curiosity nagged at Kratos. He’d already gotten to look at his son’s art, he should just leave it at that. Lloyd had seemed embarrassed at this one. He should turn away and forget it was left but…

Kratos reached down and unfolded it.

It was all crinkled now unfortunately, but you could still clearly see what was drawn on it. Kratos looked at the image of himself.

Lloyd’s sketchbook had been full of animals, flowers and plants, some trees and vegetables. Drawings of his friends, mostly Colette and Genis and the odd one or two of Raine and random faces. Noishe also had featured in it too but never Kratos.

Smiling down at the drawing Kratos folded it neatly this time and pocketed it away. Hopefully the boy wouldn’t remember he’d left it there and he could keep this for himself.

He hadn’t been drawing at all now since they were in Tethe’alla. There was just no time, they had to save Colette. They had more people in the group than before and one noticeably absent. Lloyd still carried around his sketchbook though, he had no drawings of Kratos in it still and he found himself unsure if he was happy or disappointed at that.

Sheena was explaining to himself and Presea about wish tags, hoping to put Presea in higher spirits to save Colette. It sounded like a good idea. He was also itching to do something with his hands. Giving up drawing, the last time he’d been able to make something was with the key crests for Colette and Presea, and working with wood? He hadn’t carved anything for ages, maybe around the time he was still with Dirk.

“I’ll help too. I’m good with that sort of detailed craftwork.”

He ended up making two with the wood Presea had gotten for it. It was a precaution, just in case he lost the other or messed it up. Two identical angels were carved on them. Lloyd found himself staring at the other blank one. It didn’t feel right to leave it like that.

_What would I even wish for anyway?_

He’d think about it another time. For now, the priority was Colette.

“When your wish comes true, you break it and set it adrift in a river. Until then, take good care of it.”

Lloyd found himself relieved that he’d made a spare just in case so all the hard work he’d put in wouldn’t go to waste.

It seemed like ages since then. He’d received a pendant from Kratos in that time and knew everything. Lloyd couldn’t say he was surprised, he knew Kratos was secretive the whole time they were together before and that he was hiding something. He just didn’t expect that. He still hadn’t been drawing and Lloyd really wished he knew what had happened to that one drawing of Kratos he’d done. He knew he hadn’t shown the man it, but he couldn’t recall where he’d put it. Oh well.

Searching through his bag for it, he found the blank wig tag instead. Lloyd blinked at it and saw how there was still no wish written on it. He took a glance at his new pendant lying on the bed then looked back at the tag.

He might have one wish now.

Written on the wish tag was “I wish for Kratos to come back to me.”

Lloyd was by the river. If what he remembered from Sheena was correct, he should break it apart now and throw it in. He’d delayed it enough already, he should have done this a while ago, but they were busy with rescuing Colette and stopping Mithos for him to go and chuck a wish tag in a river. But still he found himself hesitating.

He’d taken a few days on it back then to carve it; the angel was recognisable, but Lloyd thought he could have done a better job with it. Maybe he could make another someday, he had free time now that the world was safe again. The thought made him remember he still hadn’t drawn in over half a year now. He needed to fix that.

With a small splash he chucked the pieces in the river.

“You done yet?”

“Coming!”

Lloyd took one last look over the pieces now halfway down the river then ran over to catch up with Kratos.

“You’ve always been good with your hands.”

“Hm?”

Kratos was holding his hand while the other held the pendant that Lloyd had just given him.

“You were always drawing in Sylvarant and they were really good. You crafted those key crests for your friends and made the wish tags. And now you made me a matching pendant.”

Lloyd just responded by rubbing circles on Kratos’ hand and smiling at the other.

“What are you looking for?”

“Ugh! I’m- Okay, remember back in Sylvarant and you looked at my sketchbook for the first time? There was this drawing of you I did but I scrunched it up because I had a massive crush on you and got too embarrassed at the thought of you seeing it. I swear I had it somewhere, but I kept all my art no matter what so I do-“

“This?”

Lloyd got interrupted from his ramble and turned to see Kratos holding out the drawing he hadn’t seen in a year. He leapt up and beamed at him, taking it.

“Yes! Thank you! Where’d you find it?”

Kratos looked away and pointed over to where some of his other art was.

“Huh? I thought I’d checked over there, well thanks,” and pecked him on the cheek as he walked out the room. Kratos sighed once he was out of ear shot.

That drawing had stayed on his person the entire time he was away, and Lloyd certainly didn’t need to know how much he had looked at it when he was missing the other. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. 

**Author's Note:**

> lost some steam in writing kralloyd for a month or so then i was in the middle of cooking dinner the other day and the line "lloyd was good with his hands" came to me after i was thinking abt this kralloyd ship meme question thing i did and i had to immediately write down a ton of notes to make sure i didnt forget this
> 
> the wish tag thing since im sure ppl dont remember the skits inside out like i do. theres a series of skits when colettes been kidnapped by rodyle where presea is worried abt her and wants to save her since she feels like its her fault she got kidnapped in the first place and sheena suggests making a wish tag to wish for her to be alright. basically presea gets the wood, lloyd carves it and then sheena tells them once it comes true it has to be destroyed. yeah! i have to make every thing in this game abt kralloyd, my kralloyd wired brain wont stop for nothing
> 
> lloyd being a good artist n drawing is one of my fav headcanons but its pretty much canon since in that new talesfes art he painted colette perfectly and drew noishe
> 
> this is so long.. i rlly didn't intend for this fic to go on for so long but it just kept coming and coming.... sorry urk...  
> as always i dont have anyone who checks these for spelling/grammar errors so sorry if there are any!
> 
> thank you for reading


End file.
